Welcome to Topsail Adventures

The Isles of Scilly are a stunning destination, but getting there, staying there and moving around the islands can be a complicated and expensive business. Skipper Nic makes the case for why a trip to the Islands aboard the Amelie Rose is the best of all the available options and provides you with maximum bang for your buck.

This simple vegetarian curry makes for brilliant warming passage food – and is flexible enough to soak up any “leftover” veggies from the fridge. Although there’s no reason that you couldn’t throw some chicken in too, the veggie version is pretty quick to cook making it a regular on Amelie Rose’s menu plans. We normally pair it up with some mini naan’s and Amelie Rose’s Idiot Proof Rice but it could equally well serve as a veggie side to a meaty curry or a dahl if you want to push the boat out.

After much careful checking with the RYA and British Marine (who have been liaising with “the powers that be”) we are now happy to announce that we will be recommencing normal charter operations on 28 May 2021. Our revamped Summer Schedule is now live on the website and we are really looking forward to welcoming you all aboard once more, and to GOING SAILING! For more about our Covid-19 cancellation policies and what we will be doing to keep you safe onboard, please read on.

We are delighted that the government’s roadmap out of lockdown (and the NHS’s amazing mass vaccination efforts which are enabling it) mean that it looks like we will be able to start sailing again in just a few months’ time. We still need to get some clarifications before we can finalise our 2021 Schedule however, so please bear with us for just another couple of weeks and then we’ll finally be able plan a fantastic summer of sailing together! In the meantime, read on for the latest updates on our Covid-19 responses, cancellation policies, and on board safety procedures.

It’s been a lovely day’s sailing, our pilotage cut the mustard and we’ve snuck into port just before the “Harbour Full” sign went up. But before we can take a sip of something ice-cold and refreshing we’ve still got to get the boat alongside and tied up safely. As this series on close-quarters boat handling draws to a close, Skipper Nic turns an eye to that final piece of the puzzle – getting alongside without becoming that evening’s gossip in the harbour-side taverns…

We are increasingly cheered by the rapid progress that is being made by the NHS vaccination teams and are really hopeful that 2021 will be the year that we finally are able to get out sailing again with our lovely guest crews! However, we do note that there may still be some disruption to our sailing schedule in the early months of the 2021 season, and with this in mind here’s an update to let you know what we’re doing about Covid-19, and to confirm our Covid-19 cancellation policies and other plans.

Skippered Charter is back! But continuing restrictions mean that "business as usual" is simply not an option for the rest of the year. However, we're sailors, and sailors are versatile right? But money is tight and if we get this wrong we might lose the wind, and have to swallow the anchor for ever. It's all sooo confusing - but be calm shipmates, we have a plan...

With the restart of Skippered Charter confirmed on 4th July but social contact restrictions still in place, Topsail Adventures has today launched our "Build Your Own Adventure" Season. Book the whole boat for a simple daily fee and your household of up to six people can set sail as the temporary "owners" of your very own Scillonian Pilot Cutter! Where from? Where to? How long? You decide!

It’s been a weird month it really has. We began full of hope – about to move the boat up to Gosport for her annual lift-out as we entered final preparations for the 2020 season. Now, as April draws to a close, we’re locked-down on the Beaulieu River, down-rigged with the Winter covers back on, wondering if there will be any sailing at all this year.